Universal’s film adaptation of Jem and the Holograms did so badly at the box office that it has already been pulled from theaters, just two weeks after its release on Oct. 23.
Exhibitor Relations tweeted that the studio pulled the movie on Monday after only grossing $2.1 million over 14 days in release. The site called it an “unheard of” move for a wide release.
Box Office Mojo stats show that the film opened to 2,413 theaters and only averaged $570 per screening. Overall, the film made $1.375 million on opening weekend.
Bock of Exhibitor Relations told Business Insider that this is “unprecedented” and that it officially earned the title of worst debut for a major studio release. Yes, it was even worse than Zac Efron’s We Are Your Friends.
Jem failed miserably because it had no stars, earned horrid reviews and alienated the audience that actually grew up with the ‘80s cartoon. Plus, younger audiences had no idea what Jem was because Hasbro doesn’t make the toys and there are no new animated shows.
The film was directed by Jon M. Chu, who is best known for action movies like G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and co-produced by micro-budget horror master Jason Blum. Aubrey Peeples played Jem.
The only good news from the debacle was that it only cost $5 million to make the movie.